Reidy ready in battle for number one

HE may be the man in pole position but Ger Reidy insists that the identity of Diarmuid Murphy’s replacement as Kerry football goalkeeper remains uncertain.

Murphy’s retirement as the Kingdom’s number one created the vacancy in the Kerry side and recent selection trends point to Reidy being the front-runner for the spot.

The Castleisland Desmonds man was selected between the posts for Kerry’s NFL opener against Dublin on Sunday and also got the nod the previous week in the McGrath Cup decider, yet he is adamant that his future in team is not guaranteed.

Brendan Kealy and Tomás Mac an tSaoir both saw game time during the McGrath Cup and Reidy believes they are all still in contention.

“There’s huge competition there and I’m just taking every game as it comes. Reading the newspapers and listening to people you’d think Ger Reidy is going to have it, but that’s not the case.

“The two boys, Brendan Kealy and Tomás Mac an tSaoir, are two outstanding goalkeepers. As far I’m concerned that jersey is up for grabs between us all. It’s nice to have my foot in the door but there’s no guarantee it’ll stay there.”

Reidy was drafted into the Kerry squad last season as Murphy’s understudy despite having been a peripheral figure in Kerry underage teams. Yet he featured in four NFL matches and Reidy reveals that the wisdom imparted by the team’s established net-minder was critical to his development.

“Diarmuid was a massive help to him, even just listening to the bits of advice he’d be giving. I’d be watching him closely in training, his attitude to football and the way he prepared for games. That was a big eye-opener for me.

“I’m under no illusions. I’ve really big boots to fill as I think Diarmuid was the best keeper in the country over the last six or seven years. There’s a lot of expectations but I’ve to deal with them.”

What Reidy reckons he needs now is game time and plenty of it. The McGrath Cup offered a neat opportunity to get tuned in for the new season but Sunday’s match against Dublin saw a step up in the calibre of attacker he will be facing. An ultra-competitive Division 1 is going to provide plenty more arduous challenges over the next few weeks. Yet Reidy is relishing that prospect and is particularly keen to build up a better working relationship with the defenders in front of him.

“I find from my own experience that no two games are the same at intercounty level. When you’re playing at club, I find that if you prepare well and work hard, the results will come.

“But at county level, there’s so many tactics, so many different ways of forwards coming at you and so many little things you can’t account for, that you need all the experience you can get.

“That’s where the games come in and I want to get as many as I can.

“The movement of the Dublin forwards on Sunday was electric and even the standard overall was way higher.

“I found my focus and concentration had to be way higher in a game like that. Some of the lads on the Kerry team as well, it was their first time with a new keeper involved. It’s going to be very important that I can communicate well with them both on and off the field. So the league will be the time to get that right and if I’m there by championship, hopefully we’ll have it right.”